China animal welfare growing despite many challenges

Stray cats get food from rescue groups

Sometime this past August, a group of animal welfare activists lay down in front of trucks traveling outside Shanghai to stop the transport of 2000 stolen, pet market and stray cats heading toward Guangdong Province where the Chinese cat meat trade flourishes. The activists negotiated with the cat-nappers – trappers, dealers and transporters – for two days for release of the cats and in the end were able to save 1000 of them. The other 1,000 cats could not be saved.

Animal rescue successes in China are not necessarily the ones that make it into international papers, yet there are some and they are representative of an animal welfare movement that is growing in that country, says Dr. Sharon Methvin, a cultural anthropologist who teaches at Mt. Hood Community College in Portland.

Methvin knows firsthand about animal welfare in China having spent two years in that country, one of them teaching at the Chinese Academy of Social Science, a research institution – one step above what would be considered university level here in the States – that trains people for future government work.

During her time in China, Methvin was actively involved in the efforts of local animal activists, who  maintain shelters and rescue cats headed toward the meat market, and also conducted interviews with animal traders, local activists, and Chinese citizens about animal issues. As a result of her research and hands on involvement, she leaned a lot about the attitudes of the Chinese towards animals and the challenges facing those working to save them.
 

Cats saved from meat trade

The challenges of animal welfare in China
Currently no animal welfare laws exist in China to ensure humane treatment or against cruelty, although draft legislation is being considered. Methvin says lack of training to manage animal problems humanely and responsibly also is a major obstacle and is the reason behind the horrific dog beatings that take place periodically to get rid of street dogs, which the Chinese fear will transmit rabies.

“The Chinese have a terrible fear of rabies,” Methvin explains. “The government will go into a shelter and if one dog has rabies, they will destroy all the dogs because none of the others have been vaccinated. They don’t understand how rabies is transmitted or that you only need to quarantine a dog for thirty days to make sure if it has the disease. What’s more, they have no idea about euthanasia since most of the vets there are trained in large, not companion animal medicine.

“But there is a desire for change,” she points out. “The shelters in China are asking the United States to send them U.S. rabies vaccinations for their dogs. They also are asking for training for their shelter staff. A case in point is that a government shelter has asked U.S. animal welfare organizations to train their staff on shelter management.”

Another problem confronting activists is that companion animal ownership is very new in China, especially in the cities, Methvin says. She learned this firsthand when she adopted a stray cat she found near her university and named him Maigauchou after a subway stop by the Academy; he now lives with her in her home in Orgeon.

“Maigauchou became an amazing ambassador for animals,” she says. The students wanted to hear stories about him. They would come to the apartment to see him. They had never touched a cat before, in part because in China cats are considered dirty.”

In some respects, however, a burgeoning desire for companion animals is actually contributing to the problem animal welfare activists face, more so for dogs than cats.  Methvin notes that the rising middle class now wants designer dogs, fueling a large new pet shop industry that has given rise to whole streets with row after row of shops selling dogs. Sadly, the dogs that aren’t sold end up going to the meat market in Guangdong or to the fur trade after living in terrible, crowded conditions in the shops, as Methvin learned from her interviews on the streets.

Growing animal welfare movement

While there is suffering – it is estimated that four million cats and 10 million dogs are slaughtered and consumed every year in China, not to mention the periodic street culling – there is hope for change reflected in a growing grassroots movement that includes many local animal welfare organizations.

“The Internet also is a big factor influencing attitudes about animals as is the growing number of foreign expats living in China, especially in Shanghai, along with the increased presence of international companies who hire locals and train them overseas,” Methvin says.

She recounts what she considered her first Chinese demonstration against deliberate animal cruelty, which took place in Nanjing, emphasizing the obvious -- how it takes ‘guts’ and the threat of imprisonment or fines to stage a demonstration in China. “A stray dog and her puppies were living in a shed outside an apartment complex. Someone didn’t like the dogs barking and torched the shed. Only the mama dog and one puppy survived. A group of local activists held a vigil in front of the apartment with the burned puppy carcasses in a basket. There were flowers and a lot of speeches. The police looked the other way."

Rescue center for cats

Trap, neuter, release (TNR) of strays also is starting to have a presence in Beijing, for example, by groups like Beautiful New World and Lucky Cats, which is responsible for the TNR of 10,000 cats in Beijing and conducts animal education clinics in all the districts of the city. And there are rescue centers for cats and for dogs.

Methvin speaks to the need of external forces continuing to press the Chinese government to enact humane legislation. At the same time, she encourages animal caring individuals to also support the work of the groups in China where possible through ongoing communication and direct assistance – donations or transporting supplies if you are traveling there.

“The Chinese government cares a great deal about being perceived as being ‘civilized,’ Methvin says. "As it relates to animal care, they are sensitive about being considered knowledgeable. Also, there is a growing middle class that wants to adopt a new, western lifestyle. They want Starbucks, Gap and so on, and so we have a rare, golden opportunity to also discuss adoption of a more humane, caring attitude for animals. They are watching us to learn.”